Widscreen LCD Resolution

I've been using a 22" Samsung Widescreen LCD (SynMaster 225BW) for some time now as one of my monitores. The problem is due to LCD monitors native resolution. For instance this particular monitors native resolution is 1680x1050. Running the monitor at the native resolution gives the most crisp image. However, as you may guess, this makes everything extremely small. For a long time I just ignored the native resolution and ran the monitor resolution 1152x864 at which was really the only resolution available that gave a pretty clear picture without making everything so small. However, the picture was not as crisp as running the monitor at the native resolution and also was slightly streched. I've researched the issue as much as can and have found some work arounds for making things look larger even when running at the native resolution. Settings I've changed in XP to help resolve the issue

Display Properties/Appearance/Effects
- ClearType
- Large Icons

Display Properties/Settings/Advanced
- DPI setting: Custom

Conrol Panel/Mouse/Pointers
- Scheme = Windows Standard (extra large)

Conrol Panel/Mouse/Pointers Options
- Increased the pointer speed

This has fixed a lot of the small diplay problems as far as menues, etc. However, many applications such as Sonar still display much of the text very small. Even though I can live with that, it would be nice to be able to adjust the resolution to my liking just like using a CRT. Also, Sonars display at the bottom where CPU usage etc is all messed up now and only half of the text appears, etc. Anybody have any suggestions? I guess I could just ignore the native resolution of the monitor, but like I said, it's just not quite as clear as when the monitor is run at the native resolution.

What was that john?? Waht did you type?? I cannot see it. Try using this tool Im sorry.....
Cj

If you think 1680x1050 on a 22" monitor is small, try 1920x1200 on a 17" which is what I run on my laptop. When it comes to fitting more of Sonar on the screen, the actual size of the monitor is not as important as the resolution. The higher the resolution, the more you can fit on the screen. But...as you are experiencing...the trade-off is font size. My work-around - which may seem funny - is a pair of reading glasses. Reading glasses enlarge the screen and make a significant difference. I don't need reading glasses (and can read my monitor fine without them), but they really make a difference and reduce eye strain. They are cheap too.